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| Bulgaria grant to Payner pop channel prompts EU concern | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The European Commission has asked Bulgaria for an explanation after it awarded an EU grant of 1m euros (£0.8m; $1.3m) to a music broadcaster. | |
| Payner Media, which uses often sexually explicit images to promote Bulgarian pop music, was awarded regional development funding. | Payner Media, which uses often sexually explicit images to promote Bulgarian pop music, was awarded regional development funding. |
| News of the grant, which has still to be paid, sparked protests in the Bulgarian arts world. | News of the grant, which has still to be paid, sparked protests in the Bulgarian arts world. |
| Brussels said it wanted to know if grant scheme rules had been followed. | Brussels said it wanted to know if grant scheme rules had been followed. |
| Shirin Wheeler, spokesperson for EU Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn, said the choice of the recipient was the responsibility of Bulgaria's economy ministry. | Shirin Wheeler, spokesperson for EU Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn, said the choice of the recipient was the responsibility of Bulgaria's economy ministry. |
| Speaking to the Euractiv news website, she said the Commission took "the job of safeguarding taxpayers' money very seriously". | Speaking to the Euractiv news website, she said the Commission took "the job of safeguarding taxpayers' money very seriously". |
| "If we have any concerns, we will of course ask the national authorities - in the first instance, to look more deeply," she added. | "If we have any concerns, we will of course ask the national authorities - in the first instance, to look more deeply," she added. |
| 'Totally absurd' | 'Totally absurd' |
| Payner promotes a form of Bulgarian pop music called chalga, known for its gangster image and regularly featuring scantily clad women. | Payner promotes a form of Bulgarian pop music called chalga, known for its gangster image and regularly featuring scantily clad women. |
| The style has been popular in the country since the 1990s, especially among younger, wealthier Bulgarians. | The style has been popular in the country since the 1990s, especially among younger, wealthier Bulgarians. |
| Prominent theatre director Alexander Morfov told BGNES news website: "This is monstrous… Is this the only culture we can show to the world in this idiotic country of ours?" | |
| Mitko Dimitrov, head of Payner, said the grant would be used to create "new jobs for highly qualified experts, mostly young people", according to a Bulgarian TV broadcast seen by BBC Monitoring. | Mitko Dimitrov, head of Payner, said the grant would be used to create "new jobs for highly qualified experts, mostly young people", according to a Bulgarian TV broadcast seen by BBC Monitoring. |
| Jazz pianist Antony Dontchev said the decision to give EU money, meant for small businesses, to a thriving company, was "totally absurd". | Jazz pianist Antony Dontchev said the decision to give EU money, meant for small businesses, to a thriving company, was "totally absurd". |
| "You can't help something that has been already been reigning for years," he told the told BGNES website. | |
| "How much more help can you give?" | "How much more help can you give?" |
| Bulgarian Rapper Big Sha wrote on his website that during an economic crisis "European money for competitiveness should be given to new and small companies, not to the biggest monopolist". | Bulgarian Rapper Big Sha wrote on his website that during an economic crisis "European money for competitiveness should be given to new and small companies, not to the biggest monopolist". |